What Is Domestic Cleaning?
Domestic cleaning is any cleaning that takes place in your home. Whilst many people often hire domestic cleaners, the majority if people will do their own domestic cleaning. This typically involves cleaning all of the rooms in the house on a regular basis, vacuuming, dusting, and wiping surfaces.
Why Do I Need Domestic Cleaning?
For many of us we have seen a transformation of our home from a place of relaxation that we spend just over 50 % of the day into a combined working and home environment where we are spending the vast majority of our days. Generally, people are now spending a significantly larger amount of time in their homes and obviously this has the unfortunate side effect of creating more dust and dirt.
Your house is a breeding ground for gems and bacteria and thrive in dusty, unclean environments. All of these bacteria and germs can cause illness as well as irritate existing conditions, especially if anybody in the house has asthma or other allergy issues. A clean house is definitely a healthier house. In addition, cleaning is a physical task and everything you do involves physical exertion so not only can you save on gym fees you can have a clean house!
Domestic Cleaning Services
Another alternative to doing your own domestic cleaning, is to bring in additional help. Many people now have a regular domestic cleaner that visits their home to help them clean. A domestic cleaner is a great option for those who may work long hours, or simply do not wish to tackle their home cleaning on their own.
Having a regular domestic cleaner can help remove some of the stress from everyday life. They help to take care of your property, keeping your house clean and tidy, how we would all like it to be! Whether you wish to only have certain areas cleaned, or whether you need your entire house cleaning, your regular domestic cleaner is ready to help. Most domestic cleaning companies will tailor their services in order to leave you with a safe, clean, and sparkling home.
Domestic Cleaning Tips
There are numerous sites out there that offer solutions to common problems around the house, as well as offering ‘cleaning hacks’ that promise to change the way that you clean forever. The truth is though, if you cannot manage the time to try these tips then you end up spending more time reading about the latest miraculous oven cleaning product than you actually spend cleaning.
The key secret to managing your cleaning is one small word – routine. If you can establish a regular cleaning routine / regime then you will soon find that this becomes as normal as that mid-afternoon cup of tea or that glass of wine after work is done or the children are all bathed and finally in bed!
As boring and unspontaneous as it may seem everybody benefits from having some routine in their lives. Making a schedule of what needs doing will really help, try to identify daily, weekly, and monthly tasks and create the dreaded rota or list that covers all of these. Once you have this, and get used to following it this will soon become the norm rather than the exception and you will find yourself wondering why you never did this before.
There are now numerous retailers that have created and will sell wipe down checklists that can be a great help if you are unsure as to what you should be doing each day. These range from the simplest of lists to full family matrixes with coloured magnets and room to allocate tasks to various members of the household. Failing that then a simple list that is stuck to the fridge will also do the trick. The key is to identify the tasks and get everybody into the routine as soon as possible. After doing this for a few months, or even weeks you will begin to wonder why you hadn’t done this before.
If you feel that you need to give your house a thorough clean before starting this routine, then you need to approach this routine in the opposite way. Start by working through the room-based tasks and once these are achieved and your house is tidy again then you can start with the daily routine.
Prioritise Daily Tasks
As we all know day to day life doesn’t fit perfectly into little boxes and even the most well planned schemes will fall foul to the little things that conspire to make our life anything but routine, Whether this is a last minute work deadline or an issue with childcare or sick children there is usually something that will knock you off schedule. If you find this is becoming an issue, then consider prioritising the daily tasks at the beginning of each day.
If it is the scheduled time to change your bedding, then do this before you go down to breakfast rather than later in the day when something else can interrupt you. Don’t beat yourself about it if you haven’t had time to dust the windowsills if they are bottom of your priority list, things happen in life that are way out of our control so don’t worry too much about the small stuff. It works both ways and you may well find yourself with a few extra minutes the next day to get back on track.
Don’t Wait until Your House is Dirty to Clean it
This may seem like a case of stating the obvious, but many people will wait until their house gets messy before starting cleaning. The key to avoiding this is to do a little bit every day to keep your house as tidy as possible. Using a cleaning rota will help you to maintain high level of cleanliness throughout your property, without allowing your home to fill up with dirt.
Keep Track of Time
Once you have completed a task then make a note on the list, or on your phone, of how long this takes you. This will allow you to schedule things in so much easier when you know how much time you have. So instead of wondering what you should do be doing next and how long it will take you will have the answer at your fingertips.
This approach is invaluable when you do get a few spare minutes, it not only means that you can identify the quick, easy wins, such as bed making or cleaning mirrors but you will not start washing the kitchen floor when you only have ten minutes free.
Try and Combine Tasks
By having a routine and knowing what needs to be done you can become more organised. If you know you are due to go and clean the upstairs bedroom then ensure that you combine this with taking up some cleaned washing, or bring a dirty load down with you. It may seem simple and obvious, but you have just saved yourself an additional couple of trips up and down the stairs.
Don’t do it all Yourself
Assuming that there is more than one of you in the house then remember that it shouldn’t always just be you doing all of the work. After all it isn’t just you that makes all of the mess. Even if it just asking the children to put their own washing away or help unloading the dishwasher then this can take some of the effort from you.
Weekend Work
In these times it is very important to retain your downtime so this should be protected and cherished. However, there are obviously some jobs that can only be done when you have more time available. Try and combine this with other things, ironing for example is a very monotonous task but if this is done on a quiet dreary weekend this can be combined with a film or a binge watch of the latest recommended box set.
Keep Time for Yourself
There are some tasks that require daily attention, making beds, washing up etc but be sure to stagger any big jobs over a longer period of time. You do not want to spend the whole weekend cleaning up. Consider this a long-term solution and don’t try to do everything in the first few weeks or you will just end up hating the housework even more.
Create Cleaning Boxes
Something that can help make your household tasks easier is to have several cleaning boxes of task cleaning specific materials. Something like a bathroom and toilet cleaning collection, or a polishing / dusting / surface cleaning boxes. This is obviously driven by the amount of storage space that you have but imagine how much time it will save you knowing that if today is the day to blitz the bathrooms you know exactly where all of the cleaning materials are found. You don’t need to root around behind the saucepans that are stored under the sink, just grab the box and go!
Change Your Daily Habits
Another way how to keep on top of the cleaning is to give yourself a few new goals. Try to make it your objective to leave each room that you enter in a better state than when you first entered in. Even if this is something so trivial as plumping cushions, tidying up a few toys or picking up newspapers and magazines from the lounge or giving the bathroom sink a quick wipe down when you’ve finished brushing your teeth. Very quickly these little things will become a habit and you will soon see the benefits in these seemingly small steps.
Try and clean as you go when in the kitchen, wash up any cooking utensils as they are used, there is nothing worse than enjoying a lovely home cooked meal, only to be confronted by a mountain of washing up and dirty dishes when you return to the kitchen. Try and make it a house rule to also clean up the dishes after every meal and especially before sitting down after an evening meal.
Try and sort the mail every day, a pile of junk mail can soon mount up on your stairs, mat, or hallway table and this is often the first thing that a visitor will see.
A Place for Everything, and Everything in its Place
As you walk around your house take a fresh look and you will most probably see various amounts of clutter. Be that a couple of pairs of shoes left in the hall, a bit of dirty washing on a bedroom floor, a jacket or shirt on the back of a door, children’s toys, or even pet toys all over the lounge. These seemingly small pieces of clutter can grow at an alarming pace so try to put these away as soon as possible. If there isn’t any storage currently available, then look at storage baskets or similar and ensure that your household get into the habit of using these.
Declutter
Every 6 months or so, you should aim to go through your property and give it a clear out. One great way to do this is to consider throwing away or donating anything that you have not used in the past 6 months, with the exception of seasonal items.
Create three piles, one to keep, one to donate, and a final pile of items that you will throw away. Make sure that you label these clearly to avoid throwing away any precious items! This is a ruthless way to get rid of any additional junk that may be cluttering up your home, it can also be extremely therapeutic.
Domestic Cleaning Checklist
When it comes to cleaning your home, it can be difficult to know where to start and where to stop. Although stopping the cleaning never seems to be too hard! It is a good idea to break down the house into different areas that you can tackle one at a time. We have put together a checklist for you to follow, in order to make sure that you are cleaning all of the target areas effectively and efficiently.
Regular House Cleaning Tasks
All areas of the house
- Dust surfaces
- Dust and hand wipe furniture tops
- Dust baseboards, chair rails, and door panels
- Dust ceiling fans (within reach)
- Vacuum carpets
- Vacuum and damp mop floors
- Dust blinds, window sills, and lock ledges
- Dust furniture
- Dust pictures frames
- Dust lamp and lamp shades
- Dust and clean mirrors
- Empty all trash
Bathrooms
- Dust surfaces
- Dust blinds, window sills, and lock ledges
- Dust cabinets, door panels, and baseboards
- Clean and disinfect surfaces
- Spot clean cabinet fronts
- Clean, disinfect, and shine showers and tubs
- Clean and disinfect toilets inside and out
- Clean and disinfect door knobs and switch plates
- Shine fixtures
- Vacuum and damp mop floors
- Empty trash
Kitchen
- Dust surfaces
- Dust blinds, windowsills, and lock ledges
- Dust chair rails, cabinets, door panels, and baseboards
- Dust top of refrigerator
- Clean and disinfect counter tops
- Spot clean cabinet fronts
- Clean and disinfect doorknobs and switch plates
- Clean and disinfect sink
- Clean and disinfect microwave inside and out
- Clean, disinfect, and shine outside of oven and top of range
- Clean, disinfect, and shine outside of dishwasher
- Clean, disinfect, and shine outside of refrigerator
- Clean and disinfect kitchen table
- Vacuum and damp mop floors
- Empty trash
Bedrooms
- Dust surfaces
- Dust and hand wipe furniture tops
- Dust furniture
- Dust baseboards, chair rails, and door panels
- Dust blinds, windowsills, and lock ledges
- Vacuum carpets
- Vacuum and damp mop floors (if non-carpet)
- Change sheets (upon request)
- Make beds (upon request)
- Empty trash
- Damp wipe baseboards and windowsills
- Damp wipe door panels and frames
- Vacuum upholstered furniture
- Remove cobwebs
How Often should I clean?
Different areas of your home will need cleaning at different intervals. Your kitchen for example will need much more regular cleaning than a spare bedroom will.
Kitchen
You should aim to clean your kitchen every day. It gets a lot of use and is of course the area that we prepare food in. It is vital to ensure that you maintain high levels of hygiene to avoid any cross-contamination or germs from spreading.
At the very least, you should clear and clean your kitchen sink, wipe down the countertops and table, sweep and spot clean your floors at the end of every day before finishing with the kitchen for the day. You should do a more thorough clean of the fridges, hobs, and floor at least once a week.
Living Room
Your living room is a key part of your home, it is where you go to relax and get comfortable after a long day, so you will want to be confident in the cleanliness of the room. You should aim to vacuum and dust your living room once a week, twice a week if you have any pets. A good idea is to set aside a day each week when you will clean your living room.
When you vacuum, don’t just vacuum the floor! Regularly vacuuming your sofas can prolong the life span of your sofa, and helps to prevent any unwanted smells or a build up of hair and dust on them. When you are cleaning your living room, take the time to give the room a tidy. Get rid of any rubbish, glasses or miscellaneous items that may have built up throughout the week. If you have any blankets on your sofas you should aim to wash these on a fortnightly basis.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms tend to see a lot of traffic through them, and it is more important than ever to make sure that these are clean places. The toilet should be bleached 2 or 3 times a week, depending on the use. Any hand towels should be changed twice a week in order to keep them fresh and clean. All surfaces should be wiped down once a week and the floor should be either swept, mopped, or vacuumed. Make sure that when you are wiping down the bathroom, you use a cleaning product or disinfectant that is proven to kill the coronavirus.
Bedrooms
Your bedroom is where you can let your guard down, the place where you spend most of your time in the home! Having a clean and tidy bedroom can have a massive impact on the quality of your sleep, as well as improving your physical health also.
Washing your bedding regularly, as well as dusting and vacuuming can drastically improve your health, even more so if you have any allergies. There is a chance that you may be getting sick from dust mites or allergens in your bedroom without even knowing about it!
As well as cleaning your bedroom on a weekly basis, you should deep clean your mattress at least once a year. You can do this yourself or hire a professional company to disinfect and deep clean your mattress. You’re spending around 8 hours in your bedroom each night, and you should make sure that the air that you are breathing in is fresh and clean.
Try and make sure that you give your bedroom a quick tidy each week also, emptying the washing basket and picking up and rubbish or dirty clothes. As well as keeping your bedroom looking nice, it will also make it easier to clean.
Utility Room/Laundry Room
Your utility room is often a space that gets neglected when you are cleaning, but this is a room that requires additional attention. If you have a washing machine, you should wipe down the rubber seal on it after every single use. Wiping this down will help to prevent any mould growth. You should also wipe the surface of the washing machine down with a disinfecting wipe after every load. This helps to prevent any coronavirus transmission from clothes.
You should aim to clean the rest of the room once a week. You should vacuum the floor, wipe any surfaces with disinfectant, and you should give the area a general dust.
Overview
Domestic cleaning is an essential part of keeping your home a happy and healthy place. We have spent such an overwhelmingly long amount of time just in our homes in the past few months, and coming up to winter we will be in our homes even more. It is vital that our homes are kept clean, not only for peace of mind, but for the health of our families also.
Studies have shown that coronavirus germs can stay on plastic for up to a week! It is more important than ever to give our homes a good clean with the right tools. Wiping down door handles and work tops on a daily basis can help to keep your family safe.
Cleaning your home can feel overwhelming at an initial glance, but it doesn’t have to feel so daunting! If you follow our domestic cleaning advice your domestic cleaning will feel more manageable.
- Prioritise daily tasks such as disinfecting key touch points and wiping down the kitchen
- Little and often – by doing a different room or different cleaning task each day you can avoid needing to do one massive, unmanageable clean.
- Declutter – make your life easier by giving yourself less to clean! Every 6 months or so, go through your belongings and have a good clear out.
- Changing your daily habits is a brilliant way to keep your house cleaner, for longer. Putting your clothes straight in the wash bin or taking your cups back to the kitchen helps to keep the cleaning manageable.
- Make sure that everyone chips in! Even the little ones can still help to dry up or pick up socks. You all live there, so you should all do some of the cleaning.
